Introduction

Honestly, this was a culinary adventure. I had frozen chicken. I had a sweet potato. I had made a salsa a day or two previously that I didn't really feel like eating with chips. I had found some corn tortillas that needed to be used. What to do, what to do...You will see the final assembling ingredients in the photo. Whereas the wine is fully optional, what you can't see (or hear), listening to cumbia/merengue/salsa/reggaeton while cooking is HIGHLY recommended.Please modify as you see fit, with what you have on hand, and ENJOY!
Honestly, this was a culinary adventure. I had frozen chicken. I had a sweet potato. I had made a salsa a day or two previously that I didn't really feel like eating with chips. I had found some corn tortillas that needed to be used. What to do, what to do...You will see the final assembling ingredients in the photo. Whereas the wine is fully optional, what you can't see (or hear), listening to cumbia/merengue/salsa/reggaeton while cooking is HIGHLY recommended.Please modify as you see fit, with what you have on hand, and ENJOY!

Enchilada fillings:Chicken Breast, no skin, sprinkled with cumin and chili pepper or other seasoning(s) as desired before bakedSweet potato, 1 cup chopped in small cubes, sprinkled with cumin and chili pepper or other seasoning(s) as desired before being baked

Cheese, Kraft Mexican Style Taco Cheese, 0.5 cup

Corn tortillas 6", 6 tortillas

Directions

This recipe, though it would be easy to cut corners, took me quite a bit of time to prepare so I reflected that in the prep and cooking times.

First, if you are making your own sauce, as I did, you need to make the salsa. Pretty much, you will make a salsa. Chop four tomatoes into small cubes. Chop an onion, white or red or a combination as you prefer, for about a cup total. Mince two cloves of garlic. Mince two (or more if you like it HOT!) habenero peppers. Please remember to be careful when cutting these, the oils will burn on your fingers for up to a full day. Remove the seeds and veins. Use fresh cilantro, take mostly the leaves, minimal stems, and chop so you have about 4 tablespoons of fresh cilantro. With all those ingredients in a dish, cut a fresh lime in half and using a lime squeezer (if you have one) squeeze the juice into the salsa. Add salt as desired. Let sit for a day or few hours for all the flavours to fully meld.(When I made this, I had added the juice of 1.5 limes and I think it was too much. The final salsa had a very sweet taste because of the lime. If this is what you would like, please feel free to add more lime!)

When getting ready to actually make the enchiladas:Preheat the oven to 400F. Sprinkle some cumin and chili powder (I prefer New Mexico chile powder) on the breast. Bake for about 20 minutes.

At the same time, have cubed, SMALL cubes, the sweet potato. Similarly, spray a baking pan and toss some cumin and chili powder in there to bake in the same oven as the chicken. The sweet potato will need about 10 minutes more than the chicken. Every five - ten minutes, stir the sweet potato, just to make sure it's being evenly baked.

While the chicken and sweet potato are baking, you can prepare the salsa. Mince another 3 or so cloves of garlic (depending on how you like garlic). In a sauce pan, saute the garlic lightly with a spray of olive oil. Now, if you have a blender, you should blend the salsa you made previously (RECOMMENDED). If you are like me, you will try to put the salsa into the pan after sauteeing the garlic and use a hand blender (NOT recommended but sometimes it's what you have to do!). Alternatively, a food processor would also work. The sauce can be a bit lumpy, but not as chunky as the salsa you made. When pureed, heat the salsa. It will be a light red when you start, as it bubbles it will turn to more of an orange-red. This is what you want it to do. Taste it periodically and add salt or pepper as you see fit.

Now. Soon enough the chicken and sweet potato should be ready. Take it all out of the oven, turn the oven off. The salsa should be ready too. Turn the stove off. You deserve a break. If you're like me, pour yourself a glass of wine. (I actually had to take a walk to go and buy some wine. It was a lovely night and the chicken needs to cool, so enjoy some leisure time! If you're staying at home, turn up the music and GROOVE for 20 minutes!).

With a glass of wine on the counter and your feet still grooving, shred the chicken. Fingers work best.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Warm up the tortillas. Heat up a small frying pan on the stove. Heat the six corn tortillas, after heating each side place in a tortilla cloth. If you don't have one, wrap the tortillas in a paper towel or napkin as each is heated. (Note: some people use oil to heat tortillas, it is not necessary and I don't use it.)

In each tortilla put a bit of sweet potato, cheese, and chicken. Roll, and place in baking pan, seam side down. Repeat for all six tortillas. Feel free to use as much of the chicken and sweet potato as you like but save some of the cheese. The six rolls should fit snugly in the pan.

Over all the rolls, pour the salsa. Use as much as you like. Garnish with the last of the cheese. Place in the oven for about 10 minutes, switching to broil for the last two minutes.

Let cool for maybe 5 minutes and then enjoy!(If you don't eat all enchiladas at one time, before cooling mark the location of each enchilada so they will be easier to separate next time.

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Member Ratings For This Recipe

This is a combination of foods that I never thought of, and it does sound delicious! During chili season here in Arizona, I make lots of pico de gallo using fresh tomatoes and green chilies. I will definitely be trying this recipe. I love the fact that you were so innovative & descriptive!
- 8/7/11